FanDuel NBA Lineup Advice: Monday (1/22)

As with most NBA DFS slates, lineup construction will need to be modified in the last minutes to accommodate for the late-breaking injury news. We know a few inactives upfront such as Giannis Antetokounmpo, DeAndre Jordan, and JJ Redick but there are still many other situations to monitor including Goran Dragic, Jimmy Butler and the mess in Memphis. So, while I’ll give you my best FanDuel lineup given the current information I have, just know it could get flipped upside-down. Such is life in NBA DFS.

Note that some of the stats referenced in this article are my custom DvP calculations that combine both season and last five games data along with blending similar positions production allowed together.

Create FanDuel lineups using our DFS Lineup Optimizer tool

Point Guard

Eric Bledsoe (MIL): $8,300 vs PHO
I expect Eric Bledsoe to be very popular on Monday’s slate. He gets to face his former team, the Suns, who have allowed the most FanDuel points per game to opposing PGs this season. Bledsoe also benefits from a usage bump with Antetokounmpo out and would get an even larger bump if Malcolm Brogdon misses is his second straight game. Bledsoe put up 30 points with six rebounds and seven assists in a previous meeting against the Suns, oddly enough also in a game that Antetokounmpo missed.

Isaiah Canaan (PHO): $3,700 @ MIL
My current exposure to the Suns might be a little more than I would like to have but the matchup with the Bucks could have shootout potential. Canaan has seen his minutes steadily increase over his last three games up to 25 in his last outing where he produced 16 points and six assists. He should continue to see around 25 minutes on Monday which should allow him to exceed 5x his low $3,700 salary. Other value options to consider at PG include Dennis Smith Jr., Jeff Teague, T.J. McConnell and maybe even Rajon Rondo in a GPP.

Shooting Guard

Devin Booker (PHO): $8,500 @ MIL
There are a lot of ways you could go at SG on Monday’s slate. Other options that I’ll strongly consider include James Harden, Khris Middleton, Jrue Holiday and Andrew Wiggins, along with any other value options that open up. All of that said, right now, Devin Booker is my guy. Booker is capable of putting up a monster game and is hot right now averaging 36.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 6.5 assists over his last two games. He only put up 23 points the last time the teams met but he only shot 33% from the field that day, he is shooting 48% over his last two games.

Zach LaVine (CHI): $4,600 @ NO
Zach LaVine has topped out at 20 minutes over his first four games since returning from injury but should extend into the mid-20s on Monday in a favorable matchup against the Pelicans in a game with the highest Vegas total on the slate. The Pelicans have allowed the fifth most FD points per game to opposing SGs this season and LaVine should see big usage in his limited minutes with Kris Dunn likely out. With his cheap $4,600 salary, increased minutes, usage and a favorable matchup should result in his best game with the Bulls while he crushes value.

Small Forward

TJ Warren (PHO): $7,000 @ MIL
The SF position is looking pretty weak on Monday with Antetokounmpo out and Jimmy Butler questionable. Warren has been in and out of the lineup recently but when he is in he has been productive averaging 35.9 FD points per game with 23.9 points and 4.9 rebounds per contest. He put up 40.7 FD points in the previous meeting with the Bucks this season and has one of the highest upsides at the SF position on the slate.

Josh Richardson (MIA): $6,300 @ HOU
Josh Richardson has become a very consistent fantasy producer for the Heat this season. He has played at least 35 minutes in nine of his last 10 games while averaging 31.7 FanDuel points per game during that stretch. Richardson would see a 2.6% usage increase if Goran Dragic is ruled out and is in a “pace up” spot against the Rockets. He is a good option regardless of if Dragic and Tyler Johnson play but has more upside if either or both of them are out.

Power Forward

Blake Griffin (LAC): $8,400 vs MIN
I really want to find the salary space to get up to Anthony Davis at PF on this slate. I feel there is a big drop off at the PF position from Davis to the rest of the field, however, I couldn’t make the salary work without sacrificing too much at other positions. So, I’ll take the consolation prize with Blake Griffin who gets a slight rebounding bump with DeAndre Jordan out and has averaged 24.7 points, 10.0 rebounds and 4.3 assists over his last three games. He gets a tough matchup against the Timberwolves but in a game that should be close and fairly high-scoring, Griffin should still provide a solid floor with some upside.

James Johnson (MIA): $5,600 @ HOU
James Johnson is the lowest salary player that you can have any confidence in at the PF position on Monday’s slate. He is coming off a strong game with 22 points, six rebounds and seven assists against the Hornets and could see similar production against the Rockets on Monday in an up-tempo game. Johnson also gets a slight usage increase if Dragic is ruled out.

Center

Rudy Gobert (UTH): $7,600 @ ATL
Rudy Gobert has come back strong after missing 15 games with an injury. He has played 28+ minutes in each of his two games back while averaging 19.5 points, 10.5 rebounds and 3.0 blocks per game. He could be ready to improve on all of those numbers in a plus matchup against the Hawks who have allowed the fifth most FD points per game to opposing centers this season. Also, keep an eye on the Suns‘ big man news on Monday against the Bucks just in case Greg Monroe gets a start against his former team.

Create FanDuel lineups using our DFS Lineup Optimizer tool

Brad Richter is a correspondent at FantasyPros and a contributor at DailyOverlay and GoingFor2. For more from Brad, you can view his archive or follow him @RotoPilot.